I’m trying to knit a cowl using seed stitch on circular needles and I’m having such trouble with it. I’ve cast on 45 stitches and done a pattern of K1P1, with K1 for the last stitch of each row. But I keep getting a tiny rib pattern instead of the seed stitch pattern.
I don’t know what I’m doing wrong and it’s driving me crazy. I’ve recounted my cast on stitches five times, thinking that maybe I cast on an even number instead of an odd number. But I always come up with 45.
Does anyone have any suggestions on what I’m doing wrong? I’ve frogged this three times already and I want to figure out how to do this right before I frog it again. My poor yarn is getting all fuzzy and worn from frogging so many times.
I’m wondering if it’s something I’m doing wrong when I join the first stitch. As I’m doing each row, it looks as if I’m knitting the purls and purling the knits, but when I look at the stitches, it looks like 1x1 rib. Help!
When you begin the 2nd round, you need to p1 k1, ending with p1, then begin the 3rd round with k1 p1, etc. When you knit seed stitch whether in the round or flat, you knit purls and purl the sts as they come up. You can’t knit each round the same.
So, is doing the seed stitch in the round different than on straight needles? Because when I cast on an odd number of stitches on straight needles and do k1 p1 and end with k1, then do that exact same pattern on the wrong side, the seed stitches come out fine. It’s just when I do this in the round that I have problems.
It’s different in that you don’t ever knit on the WS in the round, only the RS. The back of a knit is a purl, and when you end Row 1 with a knit and turn it, you’re looking at a purl st, so repeating the first row works. You don’t turn in the round, so when you finish round 1, you’re looking at the k1 on the next round, and you have to start with p1. As long as you knit the purl sts and purl the knit sts whichever way you knit, you’ll get seed st.
Gotcha! Thanks so much for the clear explanation. I REALLY appreciate it! I was almost ready to give up and try garter or stockinette. Now I can’t wait to try it again.
Just out of curiosity, if I wanted to do the k1 p1 pattern for all rows, should I cast on an even number instead of odd number? I think that would make it much easier for me when starting each row.
If you use an even number for seed st, you’re going to end up with 2 knits or 2 purls next to each other at the end/beginning of the rounds. A odd number works better in the round, just as an even number works better for ribbing in the round.
I was almost ready to give up and try garter or stockinette. Now I can’t wait to try it again.